


The Thimblerig Plot

by NotesFromSarah



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bounty Hunters, Canon Compliant, Death Watch (Star Wars), Deception, Evil Plans, Gen, Lightsaber Battles (Star Wars), Mandalorian Armor (Star Wars), Mandalorians (Star Wars), Rescue Missions, Rivals, Team Up, missing episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28841721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotesFromSarah/pseuds/NotesFromSarah
Summary: Anakin is captured by Count Dooku and slated for execution. This is a problem for Sidious who must quickly free Anakin without arousing his current place-holder apprentice’s suspicions. Hiring a Mandalorian might be the only solution. Set duringStar Wars: The Clone Wars. Lucas era canon compliant.
Relationships: Boba Fett & Bo-Katan Kryze
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. A SMALL PROBLEM

**Author's Note:**

> Set after _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_ Season 5, Episode 16. The Clone Wars Season 7/The Final Season is not considered canon for this work.

"Master," Darth Tyranus' dulcet tones filtered through the static filled holo connection, "I have tremendous news to report."

The recorded message had been sent some hours ago by this point, Sidious had only just now been able to tear himself away from his duties and find out how the battle had gone. He had foreseen Tyranus' victory at Cressill and he knew that the message would contain news of the Separatist conquest. The Dark Side was a swift friend, bringing him news sometimes even years before an event.

"I have brought an end to Republic interference on Cressill. The system is now under the loving guidance of the Confederacy."

 _Good_ , thought Sidious. The fall of Cressill would weaken the entire sector and spread the Jedi even thinner than before. Soon, the Republic would be so weak that the slightest pressure would bring the whole corrupt, bloated mass tumbling down. A dark smile broke over his features.

"I am also pleased to report that I have captured alive the Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker, the so-called Hero of the Republic. I am en route to Raxus now where a highly publicized execution at the Separatist capital will take place. I think such a move will be sufficiently demoralizing for Republic forces." Tyranus' bluish holo projection waved and sputtered as the signal struggled to maintain strength.

Sidious blinked, trying to make sense of what Tyranus had said. If he executed Anakin–

"Skywalker is regularly a thorn in the side of the Separatist forces. His capture and death will put us on the path to victory." Tyranus' image looked smug and his tone was self-congratulatory. The hazy holo image somehow not managing to hide the odious man's victorious smirk.

Sidious couldn't wait to be rid of the fool.

"I will contact you when I have reached Raxus." Tyranus vanished, his curt holo transmission ending with no revelation of the count's plans once he reached the planet.

Sidious twisted his lip, this couldn't have come at a worse time. Things had to be orchestrated just so, there was no room for error in this endeavor. He needed Anakin alive, and until Anakin was his apprentice, he needed Tyranus alive. He couldn't, at this moment, be without either of them. Somehow, Anakin had to escape and Tyranus had to allow it and neither of them be any the wiser to his true role in all of this. He would have to play this round very carefully, he knew all too well that a slighted apprentice was a dangerous thing.

Sidious submerged himself in the Dark Side, only it could tell him what to do.

* * *

Dooku paced back and forth in front of the cell where Anakin was held, his luxurious cape just sweeping over the floor panels of the ship. The young Jedi was currently being restrained with a combination of electro-cuffs and a few tranquilizers. No need to tempt fate, after all. The young man had been something of an ever-present pest since that day in Geonosis, now he would be rid of him for good. Kenobi's former padawan was about to deal a severe blow to the Republic's morale. Once they landed on Raxus the war would be all but over. Had he realized on Geonosis how troublesome Skywalker would eventually prove to be Dooku would have ended him immediately back then.

Anakin grunted, the tranquilizers starting to wear off.

"Awake at last," said Dooku, "I was afraid you'd be asleep for hours."

"Dooku," Anakin started to struggle to his feet, but feeling the effects of the drugs seemed to think better of it. "What slimy hole did you slither out of? You always take great pains to be as far from the front as possible, I was surprised to find you on Cressill."

"Isn't that why you were on Cressill in the first place, young Jedi? Weren't you there to capture me and bring an end to this war?" Dooku leaned on the word _young_ knowing how provocative it would be.

Anakin scowled. "I suppose you think you have the upper hand here, don't you?"

Dooku looked pointedly at the bars and cell walls before returning his gaze to Anakin. "Yes, I do."

"Well, I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you." Anakin pulled against his cuffs a bit, but promptly stopped when the electro-cuffs began to crackle. "As usual, you play the part of the coward."

"Young one," said Dooku, brushing aside the accusation of cowardice, "you have no idea how happy your impending death makes me." It would be a delicious moment when the stupid fool met his fate. Some part of Dooku knew that destroying Anakin was the single greatest thing he could do to change the course of the war. His master would be so pleased.

Anakin shook his hair out of his eyes. "Is that supposed to scare me? You're nothing but a feeble old man, you're never going to get away with this. I'll be out of here before you know it and on my way back with my legion before you even realize I'm gone."

Dooku smirked. "I got away last time you and I went head to head, I don't see how you've changed any. Even with a thousand clone slaves I don't know what you could possibly do against the power of the Dark Side."

Anakin scowled even deeper. "Mark my words, Dooku, this will end on my terms."

"Somehow, I don't think so, young one." Dooku raised a hand to summon a droid. "Now, I think you'd best go back to sleep." Punching in a code the cell door opened enough to permit the robot entry.

The round droid hovered into the cell carrying with it a long, sharp needle.

Anakin flinched as the needle found its mark. "You're never going to win, Dooku," he managed to say as the tranquilizers took effect.

"Such a childish sentiment. Goodnight, sweet prince."

* * *

Bo-Katan rose at the sound of the lock to her cell door being disengaged. True to his word, Kenobi had raised the alarm about the anarchy on Mandalore. The resulting military action on the planet had swiftly resulted in her capture and confinement. She didn't know if the Republic had quashed the violence, but she rather suspected they had not. It was most certainly still ongoing and would continue to until the day the last Mando had been bled dry.

The door slid open and a Republic guard stepped into the room, two more hovered in the corridor outside the cell. All were armed and armored. "You are summoned for an audience. Turn around so that I can cuff you and bring you to the chamber."

"Who wants to talk to me?" Bo-Katan was suspicious. She'd been here for weeks already and so far no one had given a damn that she was in custody. The fighting must not being going well. Undoubtedly they wanted her to give them information on the inner workings of Mando culture, or Death Watch in particular. Whatever they wanted was sure to strip away even more of Mandalore's independence. She had told Kenobi to tell the Republic when her sister died, she regretted doing that.

"I'm not permitted to say for security reasons. You will find out soon enough." The guard motioned for Bo-Katan to turn around, the cuffs ready in her hand.

Bo-Katan turned, holding her hands behind her back. The guard cuffed her securely and led her out of the cell.

"Don't try anything extreme," warned the guard as she brandished her weapon, "I know you Mandalorians all have a death wish and I'm not about to get in trouble because of some suicidal heroics."

…

Bo-Katan was led into a spacious room with a huge picture window. Coruscant was big on a scale that was almost unimaginable. Mandalore seemed like a child's dollhouse in comparison. She stared at the traffic flow in the twilight sky, it was almost mesmerizing.

"Hello, Lady Kryze, it's good to see you finally."

Bo-Katan turned to see none other than the supreme chancellor. His neat hair and velvet robes the polar opposite of her own far shabbier appearance. She glanced the elderly man up and down as he strode across the room to his desk where he took a seat. She was fairly certain she could take him and escape custody if she really wanted too. She was a Mandalorian warrior, after all. And he? Just a withered prune. "Chancellor," her voice was cool, but not nearly as cold as Satine's would have been, her sister had had a talent for bone-chilling iciness. "To what do I owe the honor?"

The chancellor smiled blandly at her. "No need for the hostile tone, Lady Kryze. I apologize that I have not looked into your predicament till now. Your plight is a most stirring one, but I'm afraid the labors of the war have kept my every moment busy until just now."

Bo-Katan despised being patronized. "I thought the Republic would be ecstatic that they have a chance to grab another system for their side." She took a step closer to the desk. Asking Kenobi to bring in the Republic had certainly been a mistake. "Unless the Republic's takeover isn't going well and you've decided that you need my help." She would never forgive those offworlders who had killed everyone she loved and tore her planet to pieces.

"That is not quite why I asked you here today." Palpatine gave her a watery, meaningless smile. "In fact, I do believe the outside forces on Mandalore have expelled, much of the current fighting is between various factions of Mandalorians. I actually wanted to speak to you about you." Palpatine leaned back in his chair and observed her for a long moment.

Bo-Katan waited for him to continue. The cuffs chafed against her wrists and she twisted her hands uncomfortably in the silence.

"You, Lady Kryze, are a bit of an enigma." Palpatine folded his hands together. "Ostensibly, you are fighting against Separatist forces on Mandalore, and are in line with the Republic, so really you should go free and lead the anti-Separatist faction on Mandalore."

Bo-Katan was certain there was a _however_ coming up somewhere.

"However," Palpatine continued, "that does not absolve you of your affiliation with Death Watch and it's anti-democratic activities. Death Watch has committed serious crimes against the Republic."

 _Here comes the deal_ , thought Bo-Katan. Whatever he offered she would very likely have to accept it. It wasn't so easy to get to Mandalore from the inside of a cell.

Palpatine rose and walked behind her. Releasing the lock on the cuffs he freed her hands. "I think the Republic will be able to overlook your past indiscretions on account of services rendered."

Bo-Katan turned to face the old man again. "And what services are those?"

"The Republic needs you, Lady Kryze. This war has too many fronts, it's impossible for the Jedi or the Grand Army to be everywhere they are needed. The Republic has need of a stealthy and cunning warrior, such as yourself, to complete an urgent mission behind enemy lines."

"What's in it for me, why should I risk my neck for a government I don't believe in?" Bo-Katan wasn't going to mince words. He had better have something good to offer.

"If you complete this task then you have my word that the Republic will back you to reclaim the throne of Mandalore. I can offer you money, troops, weapons, whatever you need to take back what is yours." Palpatine placed the cuffs on his desk. "However, if you are unable to accomplish the mission, then I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to appoint a provisional council to govern Mandalore. Regrettably, such a council is unlikely to have any Mandalorian members, after all, most of them are caught up in a civil war and are of dubious loyalty to the Republic."

 _There it was, as neat a deal as could be offered._ Bo-Katan crossed her arms over her chest. The Republic couldn't get away with this forever. For now, though, she'd have to acquiesce. She looked the old man square in the eye. "So, what's the mission?"


	2. A PROBLEMATIC SOLUTION

Through a cloud of smoke he watched the two females – one human and one zabrak – from across the cantina. Boba Fett took another drag on his cigarette, the spicy smoke making him wish he'd sprung for the expensive kind. He was intensely curious about the red-haired woman wearing the Mandalorian armor, but he kept his distance for the time being. People tended to think young people weren't worth anything and barely gave him the time of day when he tried to arrange bounties on his own, so Asajj usually took care of the initial transactions. He hated having to depend on her like this but it couldn't be helped until he was a little taller at the very least.

From what he had observed, the discussion had started like they always did. Someone had money and a problem, Asajj and him had the solution. Nice and simple. But, after a few minutes, the tone and body language of the two females shifted and their voices got quieter. This was either the biggest bounty either of them had ever seen – or some big trouble was headed their way.

Finally, Asajj raised her hand in signal that Boba should join them. He tossed his spent cigarette on the floor and shifted his helmet under his arm. The armor may have been ill-fitting, but nothing felt more like home. Wending his way through the crowded cantina he arrived at Asajj's table. Putting a foot on the seat of the empty chair he leaned on his knee.

"This is your associate?" The red-haired woman's voice was predictably condescending.

"Yeah, I am," Boba cut in before Asajj could answer, "got a problem with that?" The woman looked him up and down most certainly taking note of his own suit of Mandalorian armor.

"Where are your parents?"

You could tell what sort of background people came from with just this question. The seedier sorts Boba usually dealt with didn't care if a thirteen-year-old was a full-time bounty hunter. It was the people from good backgrounds that always had a problem with it.

"Dead." His reply was blunt and to the point, he found that it usually shut people up.

"Can we get back on track?" said Asajj. "Or, are you a social worker or something?"

The red-haired woman seemed to remember herself. "You're right, it's none of my business. My business is to get to Raxus. Your business is to help me get there and rescue a prisoner before it's too late."

Asajj turned to Boba. "This is Bo-Katan, she's offered us ten thousand credits and the unmarked ship she got from her employer, what do you say?"

Ten thousand split between two people wasn't very much, but an unmarked ship would be a big help. He had yet to reclaim _Slave I_ after it had been stolen by that weequay. "Sounds fine to me."

Asajj smiled. "That's what I thought you'd say." Turning back to Bo-Katan she said, "It's agreed."

"There's one more thing," said Bo-Katan. "The man we're supposed to rescue is a Jedi."

* * *

Anakin woke to find himself no longer aboard Dooku's ship. The dankness of the stone walls and the rustiness of the door's iron bars told him that he was imprisoned in some sort of ancient building. Dampness seeped into his clothes causing him to shiver. This dramatic type of confinement was just Dooku's style. If he had to guess he would say that he was somewhere deep in Separatist space. He tried to remember his previous conversation with Dooku, there had been some mention of an execution, but whatever drugs he'd been given made his memory of the event soupy. His head was much clearer now.

Struggling to his feet, all the while trying not to activate his electro-cuffs, Anakin went to the door, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of where he was. The corridor was dim, the only light coming from a small sconce near Anakin's cell door. He guessed he was in some kind of dungeon.

_Great_ , he thought, _just what I needed in my life._ The sconce's pale light allowed Anakin to make out what sort of lock the door had, but that was about it. The lock, it turned out, was not old and decrepit like the rest of the building, but a very new, very hard to break kind. _Blast!_

Just then, a faint scurrying sound came from down the hall. Anakin froze, it didn't sound like footsteps – either human or droid – but the sound was strangely familiar. The noise drew closer and closer but Anakin was having absolutely no luck making out its source in the dark. Leaning on the bars as much as he could he tried to force his eyes to see something, anything.

A soft tap at his boot caused him to jump, yanking on his electro-cuffs enough to cause them to spark. Anakin bit back a curse as he looked down to see at his foot a tiny mouse droid. _At least that's all it is_ , Anakin thought with relief. The memory of those spider droids still haunted him.

The mouse droid drove forward and rammed his boot again.

"What do you want?" Anakin hated the less intelligent droids.

The mouse droid hit his boot for a third time before opening a compartment and ejecting a wrapped ration bar. Its deed seemingly accomplished, the small droid reversed course and hurried away.

Anakin tapped the ration bar with the toe of his boot. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to _eat_ said bar since his hands were cuffed behind him, but honestly, after those drugs, he didn't have much of an appetite anyway. He didn't need food, he needed to focus.

Finding the driest spot on the floor, Anakin sat facing the cell door. For now, he had to be patient. Dooku would come to gloat soon enough, then he could make his move. The old man was incredibly prideful, so goading him into doing something stupid was a very real possibility. Anakin wasn't really concerned, he'd been in worse trouble.

* * *

Anakin had never been in worse trouble. Try as he might, Sidious had been unable to raise Tyranus on any of their secret channels. With the limited intelligence he had access too, Sidious had discovered that a severe solar storm was taking place on Raxus causing disruptions to all extra planetary communications. Even his attempts to contact Tyranus through the Force had gone nowhere. There were times Sidious wondered about Tyranus' commitment to the Dark Side.

In an attempt to find some solace in the future, Sidious had spent the better part of the night engulfed in the murky flow of the Dark Side, but the futures he was seeing were not at all to his liking. Anakin had a very real chance of not surviving this war.

Cursing his current predicament, Sidious sank deeper into the Dark Side. Even if he couldn't reach Tyranus directly, he could push the thread of some event and bend the outcome to his will.

* * *

Bo-Katan leaned over Asajj's shoulder as the zabrak guided their ship into the central Raxus spaceport. The spaceport was under high security and all ships were scanned multiple times between entering the atmosphere and docking on the surface. The Republic's unmarked ship passed with no problem and Bo-Katan breathed out a sigh of relief when the landing apparatus was engaged.

"It looks exactly the same as it did the last time I was here," remarked Asajj as she looked out the viewscreen at the dark stone walls that zigzagged in all directions from the spaceport. "Old, crumbly, and rotten to the core."

From inside the ship droids could be seen everywhere, the setting sun reflecting off their mechanical metal bodies. Dozens of them marched in patrols, others scanned ships coming and going. All the spaceport personnel seemed to be droids. Bo-Katan hated it.

"You're sure that a high level prisoner will be held in the castle?" Bo-Katan knew that they only had a very limited amount of time before the planned execution. By a stroke of luck it had worked out that Cressill was further away from Raxus than Coruscant was, so even with her small diversion to gather the bounty hunters, the count and the Jedi should only have just arrived.

"I'm sure, red. I told you, I used to work for Dooku. I know how he operates." Asajj combed her fingers through her dyed blonde hair, about an inch of dark brown roots revealing her natural color. "That Jedi boy is in there, I can just feel it."

Bo-Katan knew that, of course, it was the entire reason she'd even looked up Asajj in the first place. Her first hand knowledge would certainly be invaluable. "Alright, I believe you." If she was trusting Asajj she actually had to trust her.

Boba came into the cockpit. "There's a droid at the ramp demanding we submit to a scan."

"Party time," said Asajj.

Boba and Bo-Katan donned their helmets.

The trio clomped down the ramp where a battle droid with a datapad met them. "Prepare to be scanned."

Bo-Katan didn't know how specific of a scan the droid was intending to perform. Her name and face were in quite a few databases, but she doubted it would come up in Separatist space. Asajj didn't seem the slightest bit concerned, however, so Bo-Katan played it cool.

The droid lifted the datapad which seemed to have some sort of scanning attachment on it and scanned the three of them. A moment later a positive sounding blip chimed from the datapad and the droid waved them on. "Welcome to Raxus, be on your way."

Heading into the city Bo-Katan whispered to Asajj, "Why didn't we come up on the scan?"

"Oh, we will," said Asajj, "it's just that Raxus is such a heavily trafficked planet that it takes ages for the scans to go through, we have about eight hours before the scan comes back. When it does, then we'll be in some trouble."

"So we'd better be quick then," said Bo-Katan as she looked around the crowded city streets.

Asajj pointed to the dark, imposing fortress on top of an ancient hill in the center of the city. The hill itself was crisscrossed with roads, imperious houses, and not a few walls to keep each layer separated. "There's our target."

"We need to split up and do some recon." Bo-Katan mentally slipped into military mode. She glanced at Boba, he was so young, probably about the same age as her Korkie. "You able to do that?"

She didn't have to see his face to see his irritation.

"I'll be fine," he snapped. "You had best worry about yourself."

"Don't get touchy, Boba," Asajj patted his shoulder. "I think you should go around to the northwest side of the castle and see what you can find out there. I'll scout the front gates and Bo-Katan can take the walls and towers."

Bo-Katan nodded. "Sounds fine to me." She glanced once more at Boba, he was too young to be involved in all of this. It wasn't right.

"We'll rendezvous at the ship in two hours," said Boba. With that he turned on his heel and headed out into the city.

Asajj looked at Bo-Katan. "Don't mind him, you know how puberty makes kids. He'll be okay."

"I hope so," said Bo-Katan as she watched the small, retreating figure.

* * *

Boba circled his way through the city weaving in as direct a line as he could towards the castle. While certainly no Coruscant, Raxus was far from rural. As an urban center Boba estimated it must have tens of millions of inhabitants, and it showed. Beings from all over Separatist space were here, and not a few refugees housed in dilapidated shantytowns. The war was taking its toll everywhere.

Boba was keenly aware that keeping his helmet on was a matter of life and death here. If one of those battle droids so much as suspected that he was a clone trooper he'd be done for. It never really made any sense to him how his dad had worked for Dooku, and Dooku was the leader of the Separatists, but the clones were made for the Jedi and were against the Separatists. Every now and again he'd puzzle over the matter, but right now he didn't have that luxury. He had to keep his head screwed on tight and his helmet on even tighter.

It took him close to forty minutes to get to the castle hill, the sun was now all but set. In that time he passed by dozens of droid patrols. He wondered if the droids outnumbered the sentients on this planet.

Coming to the northwest side of the castle he performed the most basic reconnaissance by noting the various points of entry in the wall. Asajj and Bo-Katan had outlined a few loose plans, most of which included escaping out the back.

Flipping down his viewfinder, Boba scanned the wall again. He noted two likely exit points. The first was a low window below ground level where the hillside had been scraped away in order for it to be installed. The second being a garden door that led from the castle to the overgrown and dilapidated terrace garden. Neither one was guarded, and the garden door seemed to have been forgotten entirely, judging from the decay that marred the once fine wooden piece.

"Who goes there?"

Boba spun around, instinctively drawing his blaster. The four-droid patrol that had come around the corner of the building all snapped their blasters toward him.

"Put down your weapon, you're under arrest." The tinny voice of the lead droid tried to have some air of authority.

Boba absolutely couldn't be arrested here. Firing his blaster into the knot of droids three times he turned and ran.

"He's running away, get him!" came the droid voices behind him.

A blaster bolt grazed over his shoulder, another over his head. Boba turned again and gunned down two of the droids before sprinting down the hill at top speed. Battle droids weren't good at running, so all he had to do was stay ahead of them for about ten minutes and he'd be in the clear. Coming around a sharp corner Boba ran headfirst into another squad of droids. Stumbling, Boba reeled back, only just keeping his feet under him.

"Heeeey, watch where you're going," whined one of the squad.

"Why do you have a drawn blaster?" said another one, grabbing at Boba's arm to take the weapon.

Boba jerked his arm away from the droid. "I saw a rat."

One of the droids seemed to process for a moment. "Are you sure?"

Boba didn't have time for this. The other squad would be here any second. Raising his pistol he blasted the closest droid, then two more in quick succession. The droids were about as dumb as they came but their blasters could kill a person all the same.

A blast bolt ricocheted off his breastplate as he leveled his blaster on the last squad member. Just as he pulled the trigger a bolt came from behind and slammed into his helmet, knocking him off his feet and sending his helmet skittering over the paving stones.

"There he is," came the voice of the droid from the first patrol. "Call some back up."

Rolling onto his back Boba was instantly surrounded. A circle of bristling blasters was pointed at his head. The squad leader droid flicked on a glow-beam illuminating the entire area in a stark white light. Boba blinked, temporarily blinded.

"Surrender, clone, you're under arrest."


	3. AN APPLICATION OF FORCE

When Boba didn't turn up at the ship for the rendezvous Bo-Katan was certain her worst fears had been confirmed. He was too young to be capable of this kind of work. The kid was only just starting to sport the faintest traces of dark hair on his upper lip and she'd sent him to do advanced recon in enemy territory. Even in a war Mandalorian warriors knew that a boy his age wasn't ready to be sent off on a dangerous mission all alone.

"We never should've sent a child to do a warrior's work." Bo-Katan punched the keys on her vambrace in an attempt to raise him on the comm.

"Settle down, as long as his helmet doesn't come off at any point he'll be okay," remarked Asajj. "Because if it did and those droids mark him as a clone he's a goner."

"I'm confused about that, if he's a clone why isn't he working for the Republic?" Bo-Katan was trying to strategize what might have happened to the boy. She was having no luck with the comm. Switching tactics, she decided to trace his signal instead. The solar storm was giving most signals some sort of interference, but with a little luck she just might get through.

"I'm not entirely clear on the whole backstory myself, but he always claims that he has a dad who was a Mandalorian bounty hunter. Went by the name of Jango until some Jedi took his head off." Asajj was scrolling through the images she'd gathered near the gate and comparing them with Bo-Katan's images.

Bo-Katan's blood boiled at the mention of Jedi. She hated them. Like all Mandalorians, she hated them for what they did to Mandalore during the Jedi wars. But secondly, and more personally, she hated what one of them had done to her sister. She and Satine had never been on the same side of anything after the end of the Mandalorian Civil War, but blood was thicker than water and her sister's blood ran thick and cold in her memory. She had to get back to Mandalore.

She looked back at Asajj while the scan ran. "There," she said, pointing to one of the images Asajj was flicking through, "do you see the tower at the corner of the wall?"

"Yeah," said Asajj, her voice uncertain.

"The best place to breach it will be just there on the left side of it. There's only one battle droid to guard it and the bulge of the tower will protect us from view until we're already inside. It's the best weak spot in the complex." Bo-Katan glanced back to the scan. Still running.

"I see what you're saying." Asajj contemplated the tower thoughtfully. "Are you thinking we exit that way too?"

"If at all possible." Bo-Katan flicked through Asajj's images until she pulled up another side of the building. "If not there, then here." She indicated another spot on the same wall.

"It's fine by me," said Asajj, flipping back to the tower image. "My only question is how you're going to get up to the top of the wall? You definitely can't get up the same way I can and unless you have some free solo climbing skills you haven't told me about you might be stuck using the door."

"I've got it covered." Bo-Katan opened one of the ship's panels and withdrew a jetpack topped with a vicious looking rocket. "This can take me into the stratosphere if I need it too."

Asajj looked at the piece of equipment, seemingly impressed. "That little trick just might come in handy tonight."

Bo-Katan's vambrace bleeped, Boba's signal had been found. She pressed a button to reveal a map of his location. "Boba's in the castle." She frowned as she said it. He must have been taken prisoner while he was doing recon.

Asajj looked at the projected map beaming out of Bo-Katan's bracer. "Let's just hope he stays alive long enough for us to rescue him.

* * *

Anakin had fully expected for Dooku to be the next being he saw while in captivity. He had spent most of his time meditating, and the rest thinking of stinging barbs to throw at the old count. When he heard the clanking footsteps of droids he got to his feet, ready to meet Dooku face to face.

Except, the droids weren't an honor guard for a self-important geezer. In the middle of the droids, cuffed with electro-cuffs, marched a short person. He was no taller than five feet and sported a full head of dark, curly hair. As the knot of guards and prisoner passed under the light of his sconce, he recognized the ubiquitous features of a young clone.

"Put the clone in the cell across from the Jedi," the squad leader ordered. "That way they can share a light and we won't have to waste power."

"Roger, roger," chimed the other droids.

The young clone was roughly shoved into the cell directly across from Anakin's. Tripping on the uneven stone floor the boy fell to his knees. One of the droids threw something else into the cell before the door was slammed shut then the little troop clanked away once more.

The boy righted himself, then, with a neat combination of youth and flexibility, he managed to bring his cuffed hands from back to front of his body without setting them off. Kneeling, he picked up the object the droids had thrown after him (which turned out to be a helmet) and clipped it too his belt. That task accomplished the boy came to his cell door.

"Hey, cadet, what's your name?" Anakin hadn't the foggiest idea _why_ a clone cadet, of all people, would wind up here with him.

The boy scowled. "I'm not a cadet, my name is Boba Fett."

If Anakin had been surprised by the presence of a clone cadet in the dungeon, it was nothing compared to how he felt about a known child terrorist – who was supposed to be in jail – being here instead. "Why aren't you in jail?"

"I am." Boba waved vaguely at the iron bars separating him from freedom.

"No, not here jail, I mean Republic jail." Surely the kid hadn't already finished his sentence.

"I was hired to rescue you and bring you back to Republic space." Boba cut straight to business ignoring Anakin's question.

"You're rescuing me?" Anakin's voice was more than a little incredulous. "Great job."

Boba closed his eyes for a moment and took in a breath to compose himself. "Listen, Jedi, this job doesn't mean that much to me. If you don't want to be rescued, I won't bother."

Anakin had apparently touched a nerve. No need to make potential allies angry with him, he could probably use to tone down his Obi-Wan style sarcasm. "Alright, take it easy." Anakin would have held up his hands placatingly, but they were still firmly cuffed behind his back. "You got any ideas for opening these doors? Because I'm all ears."

Boba struggled open one of the pouches on his belt and drew out a small instrument that looked like a two-pronged fork. Anakin recognized it as a clever short circuit device. Anakin glanced at his own belt pouches, honestly, he could probably stand to start carrying one of those himself. He usually just depended on Artoo for most of his on the go electrical needs.

Boba balanced the tool between his fingers as he twisted his wrists to get them into the correct position. He'd only have one real shot at this, and if he messed it up the cuffs might just electrocute him to death. With ice-cold composure he jabbed the instrument into the port on the cuffs.

For a long, terrifying minute the cuffs flared with energy. Anakin was afraid he was about to see the boy drop dead right in front of his eyes. A second later the cuffs went dead and fell from his wrists, completely short circuited.

"That's some fine work there." Anakin could honestly say, he was impressed. "Why don't you toss that here so I can do that too."

Boba looked skeptical since Anakin still had his hands behind his back. "You sure you can catch this? I don't want to just be throwing my tools on the floor."

"Trust me," said Anakin, "nothing could be easier."

Boba leaned as far through the bars as he could and tossed the short circuit device across the corridor. Anakin turned in such a way that his hands were to the door and the fork fell neatly into his palms. Twirling the device between his fingers he lined up the prongs with the port on his own cuffs

Catching Boba's eye he winked. "This is where the fun begins."

* * *

Getting over the wall had been the easy part. Asajj knew the Raxus castle well enough and none of the patrols had been significantly changed since the last time she set foot in the compound. The real risk of this whole operation was Dooku. If he felt her presence, and she was pretty certain he would, then she would have a fight on her hands. At the same time, she was ready. Dooku's betrayal still stung and she wanted revenge. She wasn't planning on looking for trouble, but she wasn't planning on avoiding it either.

She and Bo-Katan crept through the courtyard under the hazy multicolored sky. The solar storm produced dozens of shifting hues in the otherwise black heavens. With only the two of them it was relatively simple to just sneak past the guards instead of engaging in anything more violent. It was probably for the best, thought Asajj, having the element of surprise on the way out would be a plus. Upon entering the main building Asajj made straight for the dungeon.

"Let's hope Skywalker isn't unconscious or this whole thing gets a whole lot harder," Asajj whispered as the pair descended the dark spiral staircase.

"I have some adrenaline in the event that someone needs a rude awakening." Bo-Katan patted one of the pouches on her belt. "We're not leaving until we have him."

Asajj held up a hand causing Bo-Katan to fall silent. She could feel someone coming. "We've got company."

The two of them were high enough on the stairs that they couldn't see who was lurking just around the bend. Asajj unclipped her lightsaber, holding it ready in her hand. The other being that she couldn't see had stopped, it knew she was there.

Bo-Katan had drawn her blaster. Asajj gave her a look. They both nodded. Springing forward they attacked. Asajj was midair when an invisible hand grabbed her from the sky and shoved her into the wall. Pushing back against the Force she righted herself and charged again. There was only one person this could be. A spray of blaster shots filled the narrow stairway briefly illuminating a dark, menacing figure.

"Damn it, Asajj, it's us!" Boba's voice cut through the confusion. "Put that damn thing away." Boba shoved past the taller figure who had been in front of him.

Asajj let her lightsaber snap off leaving the group in the dark. Bo-Katan activated the light on her helmet. Everyone blinked a little at the quick shift from light to dark to light again.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite prisoner." Asajj cocked her elbow and put a hand on her hip. "If you'd have been a little quicker at rescuing yourself you could have saved us all the trouble."

Anakin crossed his arms and looked at Asajj in the gloom. "You are literally the last person I ever thought would be on a rescue party for me."

"I'm surprised too." Asajj clipped her lightsaber back on her belt.

"Who are you working for? Certainly not the Republic." Anakin's voice was suspicious.

"They're working for me." Bo-Katan stepped forward. "Boba, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Boba snapped.

"Well," Asajj cut in, "since we're all together again, we need to get going."

The four of them turned and hastened up the stairs. There was no way that their little scuffle had gone undetected. Asajj cursed internally. She must be slipping if she couldn't tell a Jedi from a Sith anymore. She didn't use her Force powers like she used to, and it seemed that the less she used them the further away they got.

Coming to the top of the stairs and into the wide, carpeted hallway, the group ran towards the door at the end of the corridor. Yanking open the door Asajj found herself face-to-face with large squad of droids coming to check on the disturbance. Asajj snapped on her lightsabers, tossing one to Anakin. "Here, make yourself useful."

The pair dove into the fray. In a matter of minutes the droids were reduced to a smoking heap. Down the hallway the ominous rolling of destroyer droids echoed.

"Time to run," said Anakin, pivoting to face the door.

"Not so fast." Dooku's voice was cold and crackled with power.


	4. A BREAKING POINT

"Out of the way, Skywalker, I have a score to settle." Asajj elbowed past Anakin raising her lightsaber.

"Not a chance." Anakin raised his own weapon, his fingers tightening around the unfamiliar curve of the hilt. "Dooku, you're mine."

Dooku, not seeming the slightest bit perturbed, undid the clasp on his cloak letting it fall to the floor. Light glinted off the lightsaber hilt on his belt. With a jolt Anakin realized it was his. Extending his arm, Dooku activated his own lightsaber. "I had intended to have you executed on the morrow, but I suppose I can alter the timetable." Twirling his blade deftly, he attacked.

Anakin swung at Dooku, his blade catching on the count's and sparking as power surged through the two weapons. Asajj, who not about to be left out of the fighting, took the opportunity to attack Dooku from the side. Dooku raised a hand, and without even looking at her effortlessly pushed her away. Asajj fell back, stumbling as she tried to regain her balance. Anakin redoubled his attack. It irritated him to no end that Dooku was fighting the both of them but didn't seem to be pressed at all.

Dooku swung his sword easily, blocking the rain of Anakin's blows. Anakin tried to get in under his guard, but he was too good. It was clear that Qui-Gon's old master was perhaps the best swordsman the Jedi had ever seen. Seeing the slightest glimmer of an opening, Anakin swung his sword at Dooku's head. Parrying Anakin's blade, Dooku lunged forward at him, forcing the Jedi to retreat several paces.

"Leave this to me, Skywalker." Asajj took the opening and came at Dooku again. Her lanky frame giving her some momentum as she drove against the count. Her moves were quick and precise, but she couldn't land a single one. The Dark Side was strong with Dooku.

Anakin charged. He wasn't going to let Dooku escape, and he _certainly_ wasn't going to let Asajj take him out. "He's mine, Ventress, don't interfere." He raised his lightsaber again, this time he would end Dooku for good. Dooku waved an imperious hand in Anakin's direction and he was unexpectedly struck by the wreckage of droids he had demolished mere seconds ago. Anakin wheeled to fend off the new assault, his focus momentarily divided.

Raising his other hand, Dooku smote Asajj with a vicious volley of blue lightning. The energy seemed to engulf her. "Both of you will perish ere the night is over."

Asajj raised her lightsaber, catching the brilliant blue-white lightning on her crimson-red blade, but not quite all of it. She fell to the ground under the force of the attack, her lightsaber skittering away across the flagstones, smoke curling up from her singed clothes. Pushing the droid debris away with the Force, Anakin swung his blade high and brought it crashing down on Dooku's. The former Jedi didn't even flinch.

"If that's really the best you can do, young Skywalker, then Obi-Wan really has taught you nothing. Qui-Gon used to speak so highly of his padawan, it seems that his faith was sorely misplaced." Dooku whirled his blade sending the tip into the hilt of Anakin's saber.

Anakin dropped the sword, the mangled metal all but useless. A surge of fear coursed through Anakin and the criticism of himself and Obi-Wan stung. He seized Dooku with the Force and violently shoved him across the floor as hard as he could.

The old man stumbled, his balance momentarily compromised, his blade temporarily swinging wide. Anakin lunged forward, snatching his own lightsaber from Dooku's belt. Snapping the it on he caught Dooku's blade as the Sith regained his balance and swung at him. The blue light of his blade danced across his face. "This ends here."

…

Bo-Katan didn't have any time to even think about helping the Jedi and the bounty hunter in their fight against Dooku because she and Boba had bigger problems. Three destroyer droids rolled into the hall and in seconds had started the process of reducing the corridor, and everything in it, to slag.

Diving into a doorway, she and Boba ducked as a shower of debris fell on them. Not for the first time in her life she was grateful she wore armor. Peering around the doorway, she shot off several quick blasts. Her bolts impacted on the droid's shields and dissipated into nothing.

"Your blasters aren't going to do any good while those shields are up," said Boba. He had his viewfinder down and was scanning the hall.

"Yeah, we're going to have to get a lot more personal with those clankers." Bo-Katan looked at the kid next to her, what she wanted to do wouldn't be possible without his help. Right now, she needed to think of him as a Mandalorian warrior and nothing else. "Boba, we've got to knock those robots off balance so that the shields deactivate."

"How are we going to do that?" Boba's head tilted toward her. "We don't have any detonators."

Bo-Katan tapped her bracer. "We'll do it rodeo style." Passing him her holdout blaster she peered around the doorway again. The droids were steadily blasting away at the corridor and door frame, indiscriminate blaster bolts smashed into every surface. Activating her the small buckler on her left forearm, she looked back at Boba. "Follow my lead."

Boba nodded in affirmation, the small blaster held tight in his hand.

Bo-Katan sprang into action. Shield up, she laid down a spray of fire at the droids. The destroyers targeted her, hot blaster bolts sizzled past as she did her best to catch them on her shield. A bolt glanced of her pauldron but now she was in range. Jabbing her arm forward she deployed her grappling cable. Like all non-energy based objects it darted through the destroyer shield neatly before winding around one of the crab-like legs. Bo-Katan yanked back on the cable with all her strength. The other two droids shifted their aim bringing her into their sights. She heard a spattering of cover fire from the doorway. Boba was trying to redirect the droids.

The destroyer she was attached too wobbled and with a crash fell over. It's bluish shield blinked out, no longer activated since the droid was no longer standing. Leaping forward she disengaged her grapple from the robot and delivered half a dozen shots to the metal shell. The droid twitched then laid still.

Bo-Katan couldn't afford to loose momentum. Turning on her heel she attacked the next droid. As her grapple deployed she caught sight of Boba doing the same out of the corner of her eye. His armor was the good beskar, he'd be okay. Downing her second droid she dispatched it like the first, looking up she saw Boba standing over his own smoking droid corpse.

She nodded at him. "Good work."

Turning to see what had become of her Jedi she was dismayed to see that he was going head-to-head with the Separatist leader. They didn't have time for this. Raising her blaster she took aim at the old man.

A blaster bolt caught her in the shoulder throwing off her aim. Cursing she jerked her head to see what had shot her. Marching into view behind the fighting Jedi and count were what must have been twenty more destroyer droids and something like fifty battle droids. Boba had taken cover in the doorway again and was peppering them with blaster fire.

There were too many of them, she didn't have time for this. Her own survival was on the line now. Skywalker would get one warning. "Incoming!"

Leaning forward she activated the rocket on her jetpack. With a shrill whine the missile launched. A split second before it was too late the dueling combatants dove in opposite directions, managing to avoid the blast. The droids weren't so lucky.

The rocket smashed into the assembled troops and punched through the wall of the fortress. The droids were reduced to steaming scrap metal sending an acrid burning smell wafting down the hall. Bo-Katan didn't have time to enjoy it. "Let's go!" she ordered. It was now or never.

Grabbing Boba by the arm she ran the remaining length of the hall towards the new exit her missile had just made. Coming to the edge of the opening Bo-Katan spun Boba to look at her. "Put your arms around me and hold on!" Her tone didn't leave any room for teenage arguments. Boba did as he was told and activating her jetpack Bo-Katan jumped out the hole and headed for the sky.

Scooping up her lightsabers, Anakin helped Asajj to her feet and followed after Bo-Katan.

From her vantage point in the Bo-Katan saw the blue and red blades of the other two. The yard was crawling with battle droids now. Taking her best aim she laid down a cover fire while Asajj and Anakin made for the wall. Once she was satisfied that they were safely beyond the rampart she blasted herself and Boba out of the compound area.

…

The four of them met up at the ship with what seemed like the whole Separatist army on their tails. Getting off planet wasn't going to be easy. Running up the ramp Anakin went for the pilot's seat automatically. He slammed his fingers over the start keys bringing the engines to life. "Everybody strap in, this is gonna be bumpy."

Everybody fell into the nearest seat as Anakin pelted the ship into the atmosphere. The ship screamed past all the normal droid operated outposts that guided ships to and from the planet during the solar storm. Laser fire chased the ship, Anakin maneuvered the ship in a series of tight loops managing to avoid most of it.

Asajj struggled to the front of the cockpit and dropped into the copilots seat. "Watch out for the ion cannon."

"Karabast!" It was the centerpiece of Raxus' defensive artillery. No matter what else was shooting at them, he had to avoid that cannon at all costs. "Ventress, calculate the jump."

"You're going to have to get us as far away from the star as possible before we can jump with this solar storm." Asajj tapped an indicator on the dashboard that was steadily flashing red.

"And once again, I say, karabast!" The ship had two small cannons, one mounted on top and the other at the tail. Neither were powerful enough to punch through enemy shields. This wasn't going to be pretty.

Asajj started keying in the ship's nav computer, her long, pale fingers flying over the keys. "Where are we going?"

"Mandalore," Bo-Katan cut in from behind them. "Set course for the Mandalore system."

The ship rocked under the impact of the planetary defense cannons that were now trying to shoot them out of the sky. A swarm of droid operated ships was collecting behind them and attacking their shields with a relentless battery of laserfire.

"Mind the ion cannon," Asajj reminded as a blast from said cannon sailed through space in front of them. "If that thing catches us-"

"Yeah, I know," Anakin snapped, throwing the ship into a dive. "Boba, Mando, can you jump on that gun?" He remembered that the boy had some cadet training, he was pretty sure that included use of antiaircraft cannons. As for the Mandalorian woman, well, Mandalorians were usually pretty good at being lethal.

Boba scrambled to the gunner's seat and grabbed the controls. Bo-Katan ran to man the tail gun. A quick and heavy volley of lasers from their ship had the desired effect of breaking up the knot of pursuers a little bit. Anakin breathed a little easier as he navigated around a second ion blast.

"Where are we on the calculations?" Anakin relaxed, letting the Force guide his movements. The familiar wash of that otherworldly power had an almost cleansing effect. This was where it was at.

"I'll let you know when they're done," Asajj said irritably. "You just pay attention to those reinforcements."

From the far side of the planet what seemed like a thousand new fighter ships pelted toward them at full speed. Anakin looked at the numbers then nodded. "Hold on everybody, gunners, keep us as clear as possible with that cannon, we want them to keep their distance."

"Got it," Boba's voice echoed from the gunner's pit.

"On it," said Bo-Katan.

Slowing the ship, Anakin let it linger in space for a moment so that the Sep ships would have time to close the gap between them. Within the space of one breath Anakin got what he wanted. A swarm of hundreds of droid operated ships were now hot on his tail. The Mandalorians were keeping the Sep front-runners at a distance with some highly accurate blasts from their cannons. They could do this but it was going to take some _very_ precise timing.

Sinking deeper into the Force he leaned back in his chair. He was comfortable here. He could do this. The presence of his pursuers echoed in the background of his mind. The ion cannon appeared directly in front of his mind's eye. It was now or never.

Thrusters at full blast, Anakin cut across the path of the ion cannon. The cannon delivered a third blast, the power surge arcing through space. Anakin cleared the trajectory of the charge. The pack of droid fighters in hot pursuit of Anakin did not.

The ion blast crashed into the droid ships shorting them all; turning them into harmless hunks of space debris.

An indicator flashed showing that they were outside the immediate effects of the solar storm. The nav computer blipped and blinked. "Punch it," said Asajj.

Anakin grabbed the hyperspace lever and yanked it back. Stars collapsed into star lines and Raxus disappeared behind them.

* * *

Sidious, deep in the Dark Side, finally saw what he was looking for. His future apprentice was safe once more and once again his plans could transpire as he had foreseen. Breathing a sigh of satisfaction, his lip twisting in a dark smile, he chuckled to himself. The Mandalorian had done well. Anakin Skywalker was still his.


	5. A HOMECOMING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boba Fett wears various Mandalorian symbols on his armor. Why or how he becomes connected with Mandalore is never explained in any of the shows or movies. This is an idea for how that happens.

They would be coming into the Mandalore system soon. Anakin had leaned back in the pilot's chair to catch a little sleep and Asajj was keeping half an eye on the controls while she flicked through a book on her datapad. Just outside the cockpit Boba was sitting at the ship's small table, head resting on his crossed arms.

Bo-Katan watched him. He was a fighter, a warrior. Even though he was young he'd shown himself to be a true Mandalorian. He shouldn't be kicking around the galaxy alone. Reaching out she touched his shoulder softly. He turned his head toward her.

"Boba, can we talk?" She wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go.

Boba sat up properly. "What about?"

Bo-Katan chose her words carefully. Everything he'd done showed her how much he valued his independence. "I've seen the way you fight, you are a true Mandalorian."

Boba shrugged. He seemed unused to compliments.

"You're brave and vicious, you have a warrior's heart. You belong somewhere where that's appreciated." Bo-Katan leaned closer to him, looking him square in the eye. "When we arrive on Mandalore, I want you to come with me."

Boba didn't respond right away. He glanced at the cockpit where Asajj could just be glimpsed through the doorway. He considered for a long moment. He looked back at her with hard, dark eyes. "Mandalore banished my father for being a warrior, why should I go there?"

"Mandalore banished me too." Bo-Katan burned at the memory of the event. Her side had won the civil war and Satine had repaid her with exile. "But I'm going to take it back. You belong to Mandalore. You belong with us. Come with me. I'll teach you the ways of the warrior. I'll teach you the ways of your father and your clan. Come home."

Boba sat in silence. Bo-Katan let him think. She was asking a lot of him, she knew that, but this was where he belonged. She would bring him to Death Watch, train him in the Mandalorian art of war, and together they would rebuild Mandalore. She would take revenge and she would take back what was hers.

"Fine." Boba broke the silence at last. "I'll go with you to Mandalore. I want to learn how to fight like you."

Bo-Katan smiled. Putting her hands on each side of his head she gently tapped her forehead against his. It was a way of greeting someone unique to the heavily armored culture of Mandalore. Slipping into the Mandalorian tongue she spoke the ancient salutation. "Welcome home."

…

Anakin turned to Asajj as they left the Mandalore system with two fewer people than they had entered it with. "You think that kid's going to be okay? I thought there was an anarchy going on."

Asajj shrugged. "Not my problem anymore. He's tough though, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"That kid's supposed to be in prison for killing a lot of people." Anakin had mixed feelings about this whole thing.

"I'm supposed to be in prison for killing a lot of people, and by all rights, you should too." Asajj leaned over the nav computer.

Anakin stared at her for a long second.

"What?" said Asajj, looking up at him.

Anakin shook his head, it was nothing, she didn't know anything. "Where are we going?"

"Well, seeing as I just mentioned that I'm wanted by the Republic, I really don't want to go to anywhere like Coruscant. I'll find us some neutral system that isn't in the middle of an anarchy and we can go our separate ways from there."

"Sounds good to me," said Anakin. "Pick a system and let's get out of here."

Asajj tapped her fingers over the keys. "Calculating the route now, if we make good time you might even make it home in time for supper."

Anakin gave her a half smile. "I hope it's something good." Thinking of Coruscant and the Jedi temple and Padmé he pulled back on the hyperspace control. The stars outside the viewport collapsed into starlines. Anakin was on his way home.

* * *

Dooku stared at the decimated wall in his fortress as dozens of construction droids hummed around with building materials. Raxus was supposed to be impregnable. No Jedi or clone army could have accomplished what two Mandalorians and his former acolyte had done here. Just two Mandalorians had been part of the attack and yet they had easily proven how dangerous a small number of them could be. If Mandalore wasn't always embroiled in some internal chaos they would be a ruthless powerhouse in the galaxy. That, of course, had to be prevented at all costs. When the solar storm cleared and he could contact his master again he would encourage the dark lord to take measures to ensure Mandalore would pose no threat to them for the remainder of the war. Whatever else happened, Mandalore couldn't be brought into the Republic.

His thoughts turned to Asajj. He had been remiss in not tracking her down and making sure she no longer posed a threat to him. He would have to rectify that. A part of him regretted the thought of killing her. She was smart and powerful, a good student and a quick learner. It was why he'd never prioritized her capture after she escaped, it was such a waste to destroy someone with so much potential. If she'd been brought to the temple she would have made a good Jedi. A flash of imagination saw her practicing lightsaber drills with Qui-Gon. He banished the thought from his mind. The future Qui-Gon should have had was something he tried not to dwell on. Breathing deeply he released all those attachments that clouded his mind. He had to focus on the here and now.


End file.
